Hyperglycemia, or
high blood sugar (
also spelled hyperglycaemia or
hyperglycæmia, not to be confused with the opposite disorder,
hypoglycemia) is a condition in which an excessive amount of
glucose circulates in the
blood plasma. This is generally a
blood sugar level higher than 11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl), but symptoms may not start to become noticeable until even higher values such as 15–20 mmol/l (~250–300 mg/dl). A subject with a consistent range between ~5.6 and ~7 mmol/l (100–126 mg/dl) (
American Diabetes Association guidelines) is considered hyperglycemic, while above 7 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) is generally held to have
diabetes. Chronic levels exceeding 7
mmol/l (125 mg/dl) can produce organ damage.